


Behind a Fragile Mask

by aidansidhe



Series: The Masks We Wear [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Lunar Harmony Potential, Mentions Ministry Six, The feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-02 02:58:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidansidhe/pseuds/aidansidhe
Summary: Odd. Peculiar. A Loony. These and many other labels have been applied to Luna Lovegood, but what lies beyond that fragile mask she wears. Who will look?





	Behind a Fragile Mask

The serenity of Madam Pince’s Literary Lair seemed as timeless and eternal as Hagrid bellowing for firsties, Gryffindors quarreling with Slytherins, and Severus Snape’s snide and surly scowl. Quite often the peace of the library was sought by those who just wanted to be left alone to their task, and so too did one Luna Lovegood seek such solace.

Tucked away in one of the ubiquitous corner tables she sat quill scribbling swiftly across parchment as she pondered her particular personal placement. _“So many corner tables. The room is clearly rectangular, yet everyone manages to sequester a private corner table. The folded dimensions in this room must be astonishing.”_

She regarded the parchment in front of her with an uncharacteristic frown, _“Alright, I told Harry that nargles were responsible for missing items yet used them for information gathering with Hermione. Most vexing. I will have to keep them from those subjects when together. Umbugular Slashkilters are still fair game with the two of them, but I used them for Minister Fudge’s sycophants when talking to Neville. Must be consistent. Ronald is… irrelevant. He doesn’t listen anyway and gets the names wrong when he teases. Stupid nargle. Then there’s the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. I know daddy talks about them in his paper because it amuses me and it amused mum. I can’t believe nobody has made the connection between them and unicorns.”_

Sitting back, she thought about her friends. Idly doodling sketches, she mused, _“Hermione, the literal-minded witch whose intellect was staggering, even if she wasn’t the freest thinking. Neville, the shy lion, ready to roar on behalf of anyone but himself. Ginny, her childhood friend doomed to eternal disappointment. Ronald… is Ronald.”_ She paused and looked at the central figure, _“Then there’s Harry. My unicorn. The Crumple-Horned Snorkack revealed. He is so special, yet he just can’t understand just how much. Probably why it is so easy to fall for him. Hermione certainly has… Yet those qualities are the very reason Ginny will be disappointed. He will never be the knight in shining armor saving the damsel. Sure, he may have saved her in the chamber, but at that point she was pretty much interchangeable with any other student.”_

So focused was she on her introspection that she failed to notice the subject of her thoughts walks up behind her. Idly glancing over the table, smiling softly at her drawing and feeling an odd warmth at the almost loving attention her quill was paying to his doodled depiction. That warmth faded with his smile as he took in the intricate flowchart of fictitious creatures and excuses.

He slowly drew his wand and with softly breathed incantations cast a Notice-Me-Not field around the table to ensure their privacy. Satisfied, he stowed his wand and gently placed a hand on the daydreaming blonde’s shoulder. “Luna…” He braced himself and smiled faintly at the inevitable shriek.

“H-Harry! I…” She scrambled to stack her papers and affect a dreamy countenance. “It’s good to see you around. I wasn’t sure the wrackspurts would…” Her words cut off as he gently laid a finger across her lips.

“It’s alright, Luna.”

She struggled to maintain her smile, “I do not understand, Harry Potter.”

Harry sighed and sat down carefully beside her. “I saw the chart, Luna. You don’t need to pretend.”

Her face froze, and her dreamy eyes suddenly appeared fragile like glass. “You… you saw?”

He smiled softly and drew her into a side hug, “And I’m still here.”

Luna’s face and posture crumpled as she buried her face in his shoulder, tears flowing freely as sobs wracked her frame, “Why? Why is having friends so hard? I dreamed of having them, and now that I do, it’s taking everything I have to keep it up…”

Softly sighing, Harry cuddled the crying witch, “I know what you mean. When I was younger, before Hogwarts, that is… I never had friends. My relatives dragged my name through the mud, and those that dared get to know me anyway were bullied away by my cousin and his friends. Eventually, I stopped trying. Then I got on the train, and there was Ron. Plopped right into my compartment and made himself at home. I think… that is why the first two months at Hogwarts are still a blur. I was so desperate to keep that first friend that I let him distract me with whatever came to mind. Before my first year, I swore up and down that I would read through my texts, learn magic and one day, if I was lucky, find a place away from my relatives of my very own. Somewhere magical. I had a bit of a reality check that Halloween, where I truly met who would become my best friend.”

Luna sniffled and chirped, “Hermione?”

He smiled and hugged her, “That’s right. Ron had been a right git to her and she went to have a cry in the loo. Quirrell ran into the hall screaming about a troll in the dungeons, fainted like some movie damsel, and we were all sent to our common room. Looking back, we should have stayed in the Great Hall as the Slytherin dorms are IN the dungeons, but I remembered Hermione didn’t know. I dragged Ron off to help and apologize, and we found the troll on the second floor at the girl’s loo with Hermione. Long story short, the troll was knocked out and after some chatting with the professors, we were sent on our way. After that, we were largely inseparable, though I think to this day I was the only one of us that apologized to her. That night ripped the blinders off me, and I started to crack down on my studies. Sure, Ron would drag me off and distract me every now and again, but I had another friend who believed in me and I didn’t want to let her down.”

He rested his chin on the top of her head, causing her to stifle a giggle, “Over the years, I managed to add some truly brilliant friends to that list, Neville, Fred, George, Ginny… once she got over the squeaking and blushing phase, and last, but certainly not least, you, Luna Lovegood. It hasn’t always been easy, but a true friend? Worth it. Every time.” He gently pushed aside the flow chart and slid the drawings from her stack, “And you have some good ones. We care about you for who you are. You don’t need to hide behind a mask with us.”

He shifted and looked down at her shining eyes, “Though, if you want to pester Ron with them, be my guest.” He smirked his lopsided grin, causing the petite blonde to giggle.

She looked at him, her eyes clear and piercing, “As you wish.” She flicked her wand to pack her bag, and summoning what courage she possessed, dipped forward and stole a kiss from the startled, yet hardly displeased, seeker. With a somewhat naughty grin, she skipped from the library and paused just outside. Her tongue flicked across her lips and paused. Flavored lip balm? Conclusions drawn, she spun on her heel and skipped towards the abandoned classroom that Hermione had coopted as her private study lair. _“I find myself in the mood for some strawberries…”_


End file.
